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Steppe to the left, steppe to the right; a trip through Mongolia Steppe to the left, steppe to the right; a trip through Mongolia
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Ride Tales Post your ride reports for a weekend ride or around the world. Please make the first words of the title WHERE the ride is. Please do NOT just post a link to your site. For a link, see Get a Link.
Photo by Lois Pryce, fueling up in Tunisia

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Photo of Lois Pryce, UK
fueling up in Tunisia



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  #1  
Old 4 Aug 2015
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Steppe to the left, steppe to the right; a trip through Mongolia
Two years after our Iceland trip, Daniel (aka Modman) and I have just returned from three weeks riding from Irkutsk to Bishkek.



For those of you who don't know me, I'm Paul (aka Wildman). The Wildman moniker comes from my mothers side of the family and is just a name that I use. In fact, if any of you Canucks knew Cariboo Motorcycles in Port Moody, BC a few years back, you may know my uncle Dave Wildman or my cousins, John and Ashley.



This is Daniel sorting out his bike when we dropped them in Warsaw at the end of May to be shipped to Irkutsk.







Here's our story.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
Last edited by Wildman; 6 Aug 2015 at 07:33.
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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Irkutsk
We arrived in Irkutsk early on Saturday morning. Not the best planning ever done since Russian Customs don't work at the weekend but it meant the chance to acclimatise and prepare.

Dancing in Irkutsk:

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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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Russian Customs (Day One)
Check in 11:40 with our "fixer", Pavel. Go to another office to have passports and V5s photocopied. Return to first office. Sent to third office where we must make a written request to have our bikes inspected. Wait for inspector.

Inspector comes and we walk to the wharehouse. Unpack everything from Daniel's bike. Everything is photographed twice. Oddometer, VIN and regustration plate photographed. Repack Daniel's bike and start on mine. Return to first office. It's now 14:45.

First guy then proceeds to marry up every photograph to each item on our inventory. Finally gets it done by 16:25.

Told to come back tomorrow at 09:00.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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My bike:



Daniel's:



The inspection:



The warehouse:



The office:

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Old 4 Aug 2015
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Russian Customs (Day Two)
Day two started at 09:10 with the news that the boss man wasn't happy with the inventories and we'd have to return and rephotograph everything! Not only that, they now had a list of what they thought we should have rather than what we actually had: tent, sleeping bag, mat, pillow, camp stove, 12 items of clothing, boots, one can of oil, stool, puncture repair kit and tools.

Problem was that my clothes weren't on the bike so we ended up with taking photographs of the fixer's shirt and pullover. I'd worn my boots so those came off and were photographed too. Return to office; 11:35. Lunch!

Some positivity as we started on the "Carnet TIR"; the customs document, after lunch. Problem was that it required everything to be listed by hand showing material and a nominal weight. My bike and kit ended up weighing 904.5Kgs! Yeah, right.

Next problem? Two hand written copies! Then the issue that everything about us was listed as being from the "UK" and everything on e bike from "GB".

Finally, at 16:50, we got the customs form stamped and headed out to set up the bikes. We left at 18:00. Two full days; our fixer, Pavel, has the patience of a Saint.
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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283 miles from Irkutsk to Ulan Ude
Lake Baikal is impressive but there are not many views from the road.



After negotiating a few sporty sections of roadworks, we arrived in Ulan Ude to an impromptu Horizons Unlimited gathering.





Ken and Carol from Australia, Sam I Am and a couple from New Zealand. Brigid (Mrs Roynie), who we'd dined with in Irkutsk, also arrived. Great to meet up with everyone.
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Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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Great photos Paul, and yes I remember Dave well, we road raced at Westwood at the same time!

I trust you're coming to the CanWest Travellers Meeting? We'd love to have you do a presentation on your trip!

see link on right...
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grant Johnson View Post
Great photos Paul, and yes I remember Dave well, we road raced at Westwood at the same time!

I trust you're coming to the CanWest Travellers Meeting? We'd love to have you do a presentation on your trip!

see link on right...
Hi Grant

80% of the photos are Daniel's, used here with his kind permission.

As for Dave, I came across this the other day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJO8mEaV9Q

I'm in the UK so won't make CanWest but I do need to get out to BC sometime. Maybe next year.
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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But for me, too much of this:



and this:



means my confidence is shot. Low miles today as a consequence. I'm picking my way
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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Old 4 Aug 2015
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Lunch in Tes.









The local shop has an interesting stock item!

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Old 13 Aug 2015
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I forgot to mention in my rush to get the ride report done before settling back into a work routine, that I had originally planned to travel to Mongolia some years ago with Belle and a couple of others. Unfortunately, work got in the way and I bailed. We had been due to meet up with this guy for the Mongolia leg of his round the World trip:



Like me, he never made it. Unlike me, it wasn't work that got in the way but a truck in Brazil that ended his life. I told his father at the time that I'd light a candle in my heart and take it with me to Mongolia. I thought of Adrian a more than once in Mongolia. Ride on brother.
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Old 17 Aug 2015
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Thanks for the RR. Glad you were able to finish. I hate sand and deep gravel. Great pics.

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